South Korean Deputy Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk spoke at a press conference on July 7, 2017

South Korean Deputy Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk said Seoul proposed a military talks with North Korea on July 21, in Tongilgak, to halt activities that increase tensions along the fortified border between the two Koreas. Seoul asked Pyongyang to respond through the inter-Korean communications channel but did not specify any agenda.

North Korea has criticized annual US-South Korea joint military drills and promised a harsh response. In March, China asked the US and South Korea to halt military drills targeting North Korea in exchange for North Korea halting its nuclear program. But Washington said Pyongyang must change its behavior first.

A proposal at the wrong time?

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said dialogue with North Korea is more pressing than ever and called for a peace treaty to be signed. He made the statement following the North's successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 4 flaunting its nuclear missile technology and its intention to pursue its missile program despite UN opposition.

The Yonhap newspaper said South Korea will propose that the two Koreas end radio propaganda along the fortified border, and the North will ask the South to stop activists from distributing leaflets critical of Pyongyang.  

Analysts say North Korea will probably accept South Korea’s proposal because at the Korean Labour Congress in May, 2016, Kim Jong-un said he wants joint military talks with the South to ease border disputes and tension. After Seoul released its proposal to resume military talks, Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, carried an editorial suggesting conditions for the talks.

Immediate obstacles

Political parties in South Korea responded differently to the government’s proposal for inter-Korean talks. The Liberty Korea Party called it a unilateral proposal but agreed in principle with a peaceful solution for the Korean nuclear issue. The ruling Democratic Party praised it as a strong assertion of South Korea’s leading role and called for consensus among parties to advocate inter-Korea talks. The People’s Party, a moderate left-wing political party, said the two Koreas should consider the family separation issue from a humanitarian perspective and should not urgently pursue military talks while Pyongyang continues its military provocations.

On Monday, the US expressed disagreement with South Korea’s proposal, saying current conditions are far from what is needed to reopen a dialogue. The public is waiting for North Korea’s response to the South’s proposal.